Do you still buy car magazines?

[drew`SEVNT5]

Motor
Wheels
Top Gear AU
EVO
Performance Car (when I can find it)
Fuel
Deadbeat
Australian Motorcycle News
Performance Bikes (when I can find it)
Mens Style (hah)

[smciner1]

Originally Posted by GreenMachine

I write a regular column for them now, so I guess I'm biased... I think they have the mix of great street cars and interesting stories spot on. I lost interest in Street Machine when it became totally focused on Summernats-Top-10 style cars. I take their editorial line that says "if you want to see street cars, go to a local show", but that misses the point. Most cars in SM these days are at such an elite level, guys like us can't even aspire to them...

Good Column Mate.

The only ones I get regularly are AMC and Hemmings Muscle Machines.

[Psi-Pop]

Street Machine every month and have done from since 1994ish I was 7 and i seen Howard Astils RaceRock XA on the cover. They do cover cars now that are beyond a street machine but I do like the features on race cars, Id still buy it if I only read Urban Warfare, Stage Write and Dirty Stuff.

[Peuty]

Originally Posted by G6E Turbo 2

NO , I'm sick of seeing Holdens on the front cover every other month
and glowing reviews of Mark IIIIIIIIIII Commodores that are somehow different to one from last month And the poor reviews Ford get along with COTY being a joke these days

When was the last time you actually read an issue of Motor?

I subscribe to Top Gear and Motor every year. I don't just read them for the reviews, I enjoy the adventures, the emotion of the printed word and of course, the epic photography from the likes of Chris Benny, Tomas Wielecki and Chris Brasher, to name but a few.

Printed media still has it's place and anyone who says otherwise should get their heads out of their iPad!

[Peuty]

Originally Posted by smciner1

Good Column Mate.

The only ones I get regularly are AMC and Hemmings Muscle Machines.

Bugger the column, I buy it for the photos!

[smciner1]

Originally Posted by Peuty

Bugger the column, I buy it for the photos!

Yeah, I hear their Photographer doesn't take too bad a shot.

[jay289]

I'd rather spend my money on my car!
Old man had a saying, do it don't dream it!

[trippytaka]

Originally Posted by Jim Goose

FHM? who cares it was rubbish....

I was features and motoring editor for three years on FHM - back when we were the biggest selling men's mag in Oz.

I will be at the wake tomorrow night drowning sorrows with the other lads.

Thanks for the constructive input... although it pains me to say the mag was killed by the ad managers.

[trippytaka]

Originally Posted by drew`SEVNT5

Motor
Wheels
Top Gear AU
EVO
Performance Car (when I can find it)
Fuel
Deadbeat
Australian Motorcycle News
Performance Bikes (when I can find it)
Mens Style (hah)

FUEL is a bloody great mag!

BEST magazine on the market. About the only one with the cods big enough to step outside the accepted norm and give things a bit of a shake up!

[EATHSV]

Used to buy heaps, now its just StreetFords every month and the occasional TopGear AU

[provked]

my birthday every year from my wife is street machine subscription,, and before my wife my olds bought me a sub, got every copy bar 2 since august 89, the one with the big write up on corvettes! still got em all too! m poor 2 1/2 years old daughters wardrode is full,

[drew`SEVNT5]

Originally Posted by trippytaka

I was features and motoring editor for three years on FHM - back when we were the biggest selling men's mag in Oz.

I will be at the wake tomorrow night drowning sorrows with the other lads.

Thanks for the constructive input... although it pains me to say the mag was killed by the ad managers.

First Ralph, then FHM.

Ill keep an eye out for the final issue, buy it and put it in the wardrobe

[trippytaka]

Originally Posted by drew`SEVNT5

First Ralph, then FHM.

Ill keep an eye out for the final issue, buy it and put it in the wardrobe

Could be a collector's piece one day! It should be on the stands soon. It's the May edition, which would be dus out in April.

I am still recovering from the "wake" we had for the ol' girl the other night.

[topgear]

I stopped buying things ever since internet is invented. There is a website where you can download all kinds of magazines for free. Very high quality PDF files. Topgear UK, USA, photography, nuts, FHM, electronics, Mac, Phones and it the list goes on.

Am not very familiar with forum rules... Am allowed to name that website here?????

[tranquilized]

Originally Posted by Peuty

When was the last time you actually read an issue of Motor?

I subscribe to Top Gear and Motor every year. I don't just read them for the reviews, I enjoy the adventures, the emotion of the printed word and of course, the epic photography from the likes of Chris Benny, Tomas Wielecki and Chris Brasher, to name but a few.

Printed media still has it's place and anyone who says otherwise should get their heads out of their iPad!

I've been saying exactly the same thing about Wheels on here for ages, but all anyone here wants to see is unbridled praise heaped on Ford regardless of its competition or reality. The irony is, if it was like that the accusations of biased journalism would stop from this forum...

Having said that, i do agree with the sentiment that the quality of these magazines has declined over the years. I have a Wheels subscription and every copy since 1977 plus plenty before that. The old magazines were quite somber affairs, with very basic photography and less focus on entertainment, more on the actual cars.

Now that people have so access to so much information online, these magazines have needed to evolve into what they are now, which has sacrificed the quantity and to an extent the quality of the content in exchange for entertainment factor for the general reader.

But they definitely have their place - general industry stories, interviews, road trip/adventure stories, multi-model comparisons. This stuff isn't easy to find online.

[OzJavelin]

I did subscribe to AMC and have all issues from number one, but I haven't seen an issue for a couple of months now so probably my subscription has expired and they haven't notified me .. dont think I'll bother renewing. It's a good read, but pricey.

I still subscribe to Hot Rod and Car Craft as they are cheap and these days I'm more interested in American makes than the locals.

I religiously buy "Classic Mechanics Motorcycle" (Vintage Jap bikes mostly) each month .. need to subscribe to that one.

I've just recently found "Fuelzine" and love it. Will definately keep buying that one.

[trippytaka]

Originally Posted by OzJavelin

I've just recently found "Fuelzine" and love it. Will definately keep buying that one.

My mate Luke puts that together, he will be stoked to hear it

[kaniSS]

I use to when they where $7.95. I don't any more as they are way over priced.

[OzJavelin]

Originally Posted by trippytaka

My mate Luke puts that together, he will be stoked to hear it

Tell him from me that he's doing a great job .. Even grumpy old Rambler owners like me love it!

[MattsDisturbed]

If I didn't live out of my dads and still had more disposable income I'd definately still buy Street Machine and sometimes Street Fords. As it happens though, I have bigger priorities to worry about damn power bills

[trippytaka]

Originally Posted by OzJavelin

Tell him from me that he's doing a great job .. Even grumpy old Rambler owners like me love it!

haha I passed on the thread link to him

it's good to see someone try something different

[The Yeti]

Originally Posted by trippytaka

haha I passed on the thread link to him

it's good to see someone try something different

I think thats a very valid coment

we keep hearing that publishers are complaining of low circulation and blameing emedia and I think based on the replys above there is an element of that BUT, perhaps the reader is just tired of the same old crap

I used to subscribe to Australian Street rodder, did for years (mum used to just renew it for my birthday anualy) then about 2 years ago she just double checked I still wanted it I looked over at the coffee table and saw the last 4 still in there bags unopend so I said not to bother, the reason I stoped opening them is I was tired of reading the same article everey month with different photos, every car article seemed to be Bill smith got a chassis from Lewis chassis a body from duce customs and a crate drive line, and it was just boring, and to a degree alot of mags are the same, its stuff like fuel that take it from a different angel and its some what refreshing to the reader to see somthing alittle different

[BPXR6T]

No, and for the same reason I stopped going to car shows. Everything started looking the same in the end. I prefer to drive them than look at them nowadays. Although I have started buying the occasional 4x4 mag.

[yearby]

I use to buy all the hot rod/street car magazines, have magazines from the 60’s, 70’s and 80's. I was very interested in build ups, particularly engine build ups. But the magazines changed, they became distanced from the car enthusiast, contained too many glossy pictures of high end cars and of very little useful technical data. I mean, that the older magazines seemed to be written by car enthusiast about cars for the car enthusiast, today they seem to be written by writers (who know nothing about cars) for the car enthusiast. Today I walked into the newsagent to look for a car magazine to read, couldn't find anything that interested me, so I walked out empty handed.

Peter

[EATHSV]

The two above comments have it.... Its good to see some high end cars but that sort of thing is out of reach for most of us. My favorite section in most mags now is readers cars. They're proper street driven cars, like most of the build threds on here.

[Whiskeyonesix]

I subscribe to Unique Cars. not cos of the megabucks hotrod machines or the street cruisers, but because of the once everyday cars that are mostly unloved that you just don't see anymore..
Every man and their dog lusts after a GTHO Falcon but no-ones gonna shed a tear over a base-model car of the same year - which I think is a shame.

[PHATXR8]

Motor mag.

[trippytaka]

Originally Posted by The Yeti

I think thats a very valid coment

we keep hearing that publishers are complaining of low circulation and blameing emedia and I think based on the replys above there is an element of that BUT, perhaps the reader is just tired of the same old crap

I used to subscribe to Australian Street rodder, did for years (mum used to just renew it for my birthday anualy) then about 2 years ago she just double checked I still wanted it I looked over at the coffee table and saw the last 4 still in there bags unopend so I said not to bother, the reason I stoped opening them is I was tired of reading the same article everey month with different photos, every car article seemed to be Bill smith got a chassis from Lewis chassis a body from duce customs and a crate drive line, and it was just boring, and to a degree alot of mags are the same, its stuff like fuel that take it from a different angel and its some what refreshing to the reader to see somthing alittle different

Agreed - especially in companies like (insert major motoring publisher here) where management doesn't give its staff the option to step outside the boundaires. We were even dictated to about which types of cover cars I had to run etc. Then there is the issue of the miniscule pay for freelancers, and don't forget about the ridiculous deadlines and work loads - just pump it out and pump it out.

[OzJavelin]

Originally Posted by OzJavelin

I've just recently found "Fuelzine" and love it. Will definately keep buying that one.

My wife (avid horse enthusiast) loves "Fuelzine" .. just the general look and feel of it.

I took an issue (with a motorbike special section in it) to my local VJMC (Vintage Japanese Motorbike Club) meeting last Sunday and the guys there were really impressed with it too. Again, it's not their "cup of tea" but they thought it's presentation, content, etc was great .. and they were VERY impressed when they realised it was a local mag.

[Stock XR]

Got every copy of AMC & Street Fords. The missus reads them before I do